On World Children’s Day, Mahmoud Allo, a Syrian Kurdish human rights advocate, condemned the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and its affiliates for their ongoing recruitment of minors for forced conscription, calling the practice a "heinous war crime."

In an interview with BasNews, Allo emphasized that since the PKK's formation, thousands of children have been forcibly recruited across various regions of Kurdistan, including Syrian Kurdistan, the Sinjar district, and parts of the Kurdistan Region, as well as Turkish and Iranian Kurdistan. He highlighted that the situation remains dire, especially in areas controlled by the PKK’s Revolutionary Youth organization.

“Allo reported that this year alone, the Revolutionary Youth group in Western Syrian Kurdistan has abducted over 150 children,” adding that these minors face harsh treatment in PKK camps. “The children are often subjected to severe abuse if they attempt to contact their families, who are frequently denied any information about their children’s whereabouts.”

The human rights advocate pointed out that child recruitment is a violation of international humanitarian law, which explicitly prohibits the use of children in armed conflict. He described the PKK’s actions as a “war crime” and urged for the immediate release of the abducted minors.

Human Rights Watch recently revealed that the Revolutionary Youth group, which is associated with the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its Autonomous Administration in northeastern Syria, continues to recruit children despite a 2019 UN agreement to end the practice. The UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria has also reported that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the military arm of the PYD, recruits children aged 12 to 17 in areas under their control.

Families of the abducted children have reported being ignored by the PYD-led administration, with some fearing retaliation for seeking information about their missing children.

"Abducting minors and forcing them into combat robs children of their childhood, exposes them to violence, and inflicts long-term trauma," Allo said, stressing the need for the PKK and its affiliates to cease the practice immediately.

World Children’s Day, observed annually on November 20, serves to promote children’s welfare and commemorates the anniversaries of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1959 and the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989.